1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
FIGS. 9A through 9C are views illustrating the respective states of recording by a conventional ink jet recording apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 9A through 9C, a conveyer belt 205 for conveying a recording medium 204 and a recording head 201 for discharging ink onto the aforesaid recording medium 204 are positioned to face each other. Also, in the recording head 201, there is provided a pressure generating means 202 which is means for generating the discharging energy.
Subsequently, the recording by the ink jet recording method shown in FIGS. 9A through 9C will be described.
At first, as shown in FIG. 9A, ink 203 in the recording head 201 is forced out by the pressure of the pressure generating means 202 and a first ink droplet 206-1 is discharged. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the first ink droplet 206-1 impacts on and spreads over the recording medium 204 which is attracted to the electrostatic conveyer belt 205 by the electrostatic attraction of the belt 205 to whatever is being conveyed on the belt 205. Then a second ink droplet 206-2 is discharged from the recording head 201. At this juncture, unwanted droplets 207 are generated between the recording head 201 and recording medium 204. The aforesaid unwanted droplets 207 are those generated accompanying the discharging of the ink droplet 206-1, 206-2, and so on (satellite ink droplets) and a part of those ink droplets 206-1, 206-2 bounces or rebounds, and so on (rebounding mist ink) and others. Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the second ink droplet 206-2 is impacted with a part thereof being overlapped with the first ink droplet 206-1. Also, as a third ink droplet 206-3 is discharged, the number of unwanted droplets 207 increase. In a high-density recording which is performed by continuous discharging, many unwanted droplets 207 are generated. Particularly, in a full-line recording using the full-line head provided with a plurality of discharging ports over the entire recording area, or in a color recording, the generation of the unwanted droplets 207 is conspicuous.
In the aforesaid conventional example, there is no particular counter measure is taken for eliminating the unwanted ink thus generated, leading to the occasional accumulation of unwanted ink adhering to the vicinity of the discharging port of the recording head. Many of the unwanted droplets are charged with electricity and tend to be attached to the vicinity of the discharging port of the recording head 201. When the unwanted droplets thus adhere to the discharging surface 209 in the vicinity of the discharging port 208 of the recording head, normal ink discharging subsequent thereto is hindered, and there is a possibility that a defective discharge such as disabled ink discharging takes place, leading to the resultant inability of the device to perform the recording in a desirable condition.